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WebMethods, i2 and Hewlett-Packard are to collaborate to enable customers to more easily monitor and manage supply chain business processes.

The companies said that by adding systems management capabilities to supply chain processes, customers can more readily view the interactions between the systems and applications that impact the flow of goods and materials throughout an organization.

Last year, integration company webMethods, and supply chain management vendor i2 began to embed webMethods' integration platform into i2's applications. But the latest work also relies on an earlier collaboration between webMethods and HP, which saw the two write the Open Management Interface (OMI) specification that builds a link between the technology and business components that drive an organization.

The OMI specification defines a standards-based management interface supporting XML, SOAP and HTTP. The idea is to provide an open way for systems management vendors and other interested parties to access and manage the resources associated with an integration platform, together with associated business processes. HP and webMethods now have OMI partnerships and endorsements from systems management vendors including BMC, Computer Associates and Tivoli.

HP's OpenView Smart Plug-in for webMethods provides the ability to tie known problems with a physical IT architecture directly to business processes, allowing companies to assess the business impact of such problems, according to HP. This combination of technologies can then be used to help to manage the flow of information within and between business applications, such as the value chain applications provided by i2.